President Donald Trump over the weekend issued a new warning to Hamas to release the bodies of all of the murdered hostage bodies or face action.
"Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action... Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely," the president said.
As the deadline to return the hostage bodies approaches, Israel announced that it knows the location of nine of the 13 remaining hostages, and has allowed a team from Egypt to enter the strip alongside the Red Cross to search.
The IDF has also given Hamas permission to go beyond the ceasefire line in southern Gaza to search for murdered hostage bodies.
This evening, an unnamed body was returned to the IDF through the Red Cross. Israeli forensic analysts are now working to confirm the identity of the body, which they said may take up to two days. If the body is confirmed to be a hostage, 12 deceased hostages will still remain in Gaza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met on October 25 with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra.
While in Israel this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with the families of American citizens Itay Chen and Omer Neutra who were both murdered by Hamas on October 7. Hamas still holds their bodies hostage.
Rubio told the Chen and Neutra families that "We will not rest until their — and all — remains are returned."
Israel on Saturday struck a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in central Gaza who was planning an imminent attack on Israeli soldiers.
Speaking alongside President Trump aboard Air Force One, Rubio made clear that the strike did not constitute a violation of the ceasefire in Gaza.
"Israel didn't surrender its right to self-defense. Obviously, the ceasefire is based on obligations on both sides... They have a right if there's an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that," Rubio added.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to fully comply with the agreement and release all the hostages.
Israel has killed 13 key Hamas terrorists in Gaza over the last two years, including the group's leader, Ismail Haniyeh; Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar; and military leader, Mohammad Deif.
Emergency status in southern Israel to be lifted
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced today that the emergency situation status declared in southern Israel since Hamas’ October 7 attack will come to an end.
The order will be officially lifted tomorrow.
“I have decided to adopt the IDF’s recommendation and to remove, for the first time since October 7, the special situation in the home front,” Katz said.
Katz's announced comes as we mark two years since the IDF launched its ground operation in Gaza to take out the terrorists that perpetrated to October 7 massacre — the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
We remember the 920 IDF soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of Israelis, the hostages and the Jewish people.
May their lives forever be a blessing.
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UNIFIL shoots down IDF drone as Israel strikes terror targets
The IDF eliminated two Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon on Sunday, as the terror group seeks to rebuild its infrastructure along Israel’s border.
As the IDF seeks to enforce the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) shot down an Israeli drone conducting a routine surveillance mission.
The drone posed no threat to the UNIFIL observers, the IDF said, while UNIFIL claimed that it had flown over its patrol “in an aggressive manner.”
Hezbollah spent 18 years turning southern Lebanon into a terror fortress and planned to massacre Israeli civilians in an October 7-style invasion, while UNIFIL failed to uphold its mandate under UNSCR 1701 to disarm Hezbollah and prevent the Iranian-backed terror group from operating in southern Lebanon.
The Trump administration in August worked with Israel to bring UNIFIL's mandate to an end over the next year. America must continue to pressure the Lebanese government to ensure it completely disarms Hezbollah and prevents the terror group from threatening Israel.
U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to expand Israel presence
Nvidia announced yesterday that it will move its research and development center in Beersheva to a new location three times the size of the existing 11,000,000-square-foot facility, and that it intends to hire hundreds of new employees.
The company already has over 5,000 employees in Israel, across centers in Tel Aviv, Ra’anana, Yokneam, Mevo Carmel and Tel Hai.
Nvidia senior vice president Amit Krig said that the firm’s expansion in Beersheba reflects the chipmaker’s commitment to hunting for the “best engineers — wherever they are.”
Israel’s innovative high-tech economy helps American companies stay competitive in the global economy, benefiting both nations.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
